July 15 -- PEDRO ON PEDRO

After 17 seasons in the majors, Pedro Martinez might have absolutely nothing left in his right arm. Then again, maybe he does. I have no idea. Even Pedro admits he doesn’t know what to expect. But, after one of the most amusing (and, at nearly 40 minutes, one of the lengthiest) press conferences around here in quite some time, one thing is crystal clear.

It’s going to be fun to watch.

A few highlights from Pedro:

(On the past few years with the Mets): It hasn’t been easy for me. I don’t like to make excuses. I gave it up the last few years. I wasn’t the same Pedro Martinez that you’re accustomed to seeing. I was having surgery. I think I was too brave sometimes. I was stupid sometimes for pitching and knowing that I wasn’t in the regular health that you should be in. The last few years have been horrible. I’m not saying horrible because of the results, but because I haven’t felt like I wanted to feel. I wasn’t the same Pedro Martinez that you’re accustomed to seeing, and I don’t expect to be the same Pedro that I was when I was 26. There are a lot of innings that I have pitched since then. If you don’t know, it’s not the same. But I still feel like I can still bring something to the table. I still feel like this team needs a little help, very little help, and I think I can supply a little bit of it. I’m not going to say all of it, but a little bit of it.

(Why did it take so long to find a team?): It’s a little bit of everything. First of all, I was very picky about the teams that I chose. I said I wanted a contending team, a team that I would feel comfortable with. I made a priority out of the team I would pick, especially being in the National League. That was one of the issues I really wanted. I already have a championship in the American League. I have Cy Youngs in the National and American League, and I want a championship in the National League. I was hoping the Mets would make a move. They didn’t, and I decided I wanted to wait. I eventually knew that one of those teams was going to need pitching at this time. That’s why I decided to wait and train to stay in shape to get an opportunity like this one. I thank the Phillies for giving me the opportunity to be on the team and actually jump to first place without throwing a ball.

(On why there was so little interest other than from the Phillies): As far as I know, there was never little interest. There was interest. The fact that I did want to pick who to go [with] and what conditions I would go, it was a difference. I bring with me a legacy. I bring with me my last name. I bring my face. I bring everything I have, my integrity, to this team. I got offers. I just wasn’t willing to go to on a minor-league deal. I wasn’t willing to go to places that I didn’t feel comfortable with going. I didn’t feel like going with some teams, Things like that, things that come into play when you’re the kind of player that I am. I have already made a career. I don’t have a need for anything material that you see out here. I just have the desire to play. I feel like I can play. I’m going to do it, and I’ll be the first one to be convinced, really convinced, if I can do it or not. If I don’t do it, I’m going to go home and take myself out of baseball. But I’m not going to let anybody, any comment, drag me out of baseball. I’m going to do it when I feel it’s the right time. If my health fails, I will go. But none of you is going to drag me out.

(On when he thinks he’ll be ready to pitch?): I can’t really answer that, but I’m an old goat now. I’m accustomed to coming back on the mound quickly. I can, without a doubt, make adjustments. Experience will help me a lot to actually adjust to the things I have to adjust. I feel really, really good physically. I think my body is ready to take the heat of the summer. I’m just looking forward to going out there, work with Dube (pitching coach Rich Dubee) and see what happens. The more I see batters, the more I’m involved with the games, the quicker I’ll get ready. But I can’t tell you precisely when I’ll be ready. … In the shape I am in, and the way I work, it’s not difficult for me to make adjustments. Once I run a little bit tomorrow, I may be able to jump on the mound. And if you give me somebody to face, who knows? Curveball is going to be a little flat. Changeup is going to be hanging a little bit. But those are things you correct as you go along.”

Pedro insisted he doesn’t have bad feelings toward the Mets, even though they chose not to re-sign him after last season. He also said he’ll take no satisfaction from beating the Mets later this season, but also said, “Don’t confuse that now. It could be my mom standing up there with the bat, and if I have to back here up, I will do that. Don’t confuse that. I’m a very competitive player, and once I step in the white lines, you see me smiling now, but you’re not going to see that face very often.”

A few other notes:

–Martinez will fly to Miami with the Phillies tonight. After that, he will report to the team’s facility in Clearwater.

–Pedro is on the disabled list, quite simply, because there’s nowhere else for him to go. He signed a major-league contract, but he isn’t ready to pitch in the majors. In order to send him to the minors for a few tune-up starts, the Phillies had to place him on the disabled list. But he did pass his physical yesterday, and if the Phillies detected anything wrong with his shoulder during last week’s twin simulated games in the Dominican, they never would’ve signed him.

Now, he did take a needle in the shoulder yesterday as part of the physical, and Martinez made it very clear that it wasn’t a good feeling. But, several times, he made a point to say that his shoulder is healthy, although he knows the proof will come when he’s on the mound, pitching effectively. “Now that I have the opportunity and I’m finally healthy, I want to really show that I’m healthy,” Pedro said. “I want to do it the right way. I’m going to take my time to actually get ready, compete at the level that this team has been competing, a No. 1 team right now. I want to come out and give the same impression. We have to be on the same level. I’m going to do that.”

Bottom line, though: “Talking don’t win games,” Pedro said. “I want to get between the white lines and see what I can do. I might surprise you. I might not. But it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be really fun to go and find out.”

More later, and in tomorrow’s News Journal.

About Scott Lauber

Scott Lauber is starting his fifth season on the Phillies beat for The News Journal. A native of New Jersey and a graduate of Boston University, he previously wrote for the Concord (N.H.) Monitor and the Press & Sun-Bulletin in Binghamton, N.Y., where he covered Jose Reyes, Jason Bay and David Wright when they were minor leaguers in the New York Mets' farm system. He also co-authored a book, "Phillies Confidential: The Untold Inside Story of the 2008 Championship Season," with former Phillies outfielder Gary Matthews.

Guidelines: You share in the delawareonline.com community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse.

We're using Facebook Comments on articles to create a more civil environment for conversation. To find out more, please visit the FAQ.